Studies have shown that dieters who have tea included in their weight loss diets have shown better compliance that those who did not. This has been traced to the presence of catechins, most especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
EGCG has been a major focus of diet and health researches which has been identified to have multiple health benefits, among which being anticancer is one. It also improves metabolic and cardiovascular health. As an antioxidant, EGCG also helps the body in detoxifying, that is, it rids the body of toxins.
Of the different types of tea, green tea has the highest content of EGCG, to be followed by white tea, while the black tea only bears a trace. This knowledge should help you in your choice of tea.
But how does EGCG help in weight loss? It suppresses appetite by killing the hunger pangs, and that explains why tea drinking dieters showed better compliance to their diet regime than the non-tea-drinking dieters.
How can you get the best of tea drinking?
Create a tea drinking habit
The easiest way to form a habit of tea drinking is to make it a social activity. Get your family to participate in a late night cup of tea. This could be served while you watch the favorite family show. Or you could make it a ritual in your book or scrabble clubs.
You should ensure that you choose a tea that you each find tastiest, this is for compliance reasons; if you find it tasty, you are more likely to stick with the habit. You should also learn to take your tea plain, without sugar or milk; that is how you reap the real benefits of tea drinking.
Substitute tea for your morning coffee
Tea contains caffeine and will give you the same advantage of drinking coffee, and this comes with the other benefits of tea drinking described earlier. Since the caffeine content of tea is not as much as that of coffee, the risk of caffeine consumption is also reduced.
Take ice tea, not soda, with your lunch and dinner
Cold sodas, or soft drinks, as they are sometimes called, can be tempting, but ice tea is a healthier choice. Take it with your lunch and dinner, and you will not miss a bit.
You could also first take a cup of tea before your dinner. This not only suppresses your appetite, but also fills up part of the stomach, so that you do not need to over stuff yourself with high calories.
Take a warm cup of tea to kill boredom induced hunger
Those lonely afternoons and nights, when a second serve of food is a desired solace, take tea instead. This helps fill the moment with sweat memories, while still keeping the calories down.
Take a cup of herbal decaf tea before bed
This relaxes your body and helps you have a good night sleep. And this (a good night sleep) is important to shedding weight. The tea must be decaf, so you do not suffer insomnia, and you should also not keep it close to bedtime, especially if you are pregnant or have incontinence issues. This would help you avoid sleep interrupting trips to the bathroom.
In all this, keep an eye on your caffeine level, especially if you are caffeine sensitive. While tea may not contain a high level of caffeine like coffee, every intake adds up. So, it is necessary to verify with your doctor, what limit is healthy for you, or you can simply stick to decaf herbal tea.